Community Forums

burgman50 · 09-14-2014, 06:06 AM

Wife and I went to this store yesterday to look for new kitchen light and to browse their selection of rvs. The store was bright and nice, and well stocked. When we went out to look at the class A's, everyone of them was locked, as were the fifth a heels. Time was 12:30 ish. Back inside they had a 2008 Monaco dynasty. It was locked and had a sign that said only pre qualified buyers were allowed inside. Granted we were not planning on buying, but still. I have been to numerous dealers and this place is the first to have everything locked up. Needless to say we were not thrilled. I' ve got to find an autoparts store so will probably return the light . Not really wanting to support a business (or in this case a location) that has this policy .
FYI, this is not to bash camping world. I' ve had great experiences in all the ones visited, except orlando.
Thanks for letting me rant. I feel better.

spritz · 09-14-2014, 06:54 AM

There's always going to be one. We have been lucky so far with the ones we go too. I am finding this out more & more. We are always looking @ MH's and the used car lots and are finding that's the norm.

The last Dealer Lot (auto's) it took the sales's lady 15 minutes to get the key's to the vehicle we are interested in.

Locking them inside the store is going a little bit overboard in MHO.
Sad State of Affairs,
Tim

bsirby · 09-15-2014, 08:06 AM

We had a similar experience at the Charleston, SC Camping World. When we asked why all the motorhomes were locked, they explained that vandalism was terrible at that location, EVEN during the day. Did the Orlando Camping World give their reasons for the RV's being locked?

KT4Wextra · 09-15-2014, 09:55 PM

They are just protecting their investment. They may have had some light fingered Louies tour through some of their MH's. Gee, Edith that sure would look good in our old trailer, see if it will fit your purse. I wouldn't be offended if they limit who gets in. If you were truly interested I'm sure they would have been happy to let you examine. If you are not satisfied then go to the next dealer that will let you look unattended. The dealer I bought from had every RV on the lot unlocked, but they weren't in a urban area. If you go to a new car dealer everything is locked and as far as the keys are concerned, most dealerships have a security system that keeps the keys under computer control and it may be RF tagged to keep someone from driving off the lot without alarms going off. If you haven't been exposed to the criminal mind you may not understand what is needed to protect from theft. I used to sell motion detectors and alarms and you would be surprised what can just walk off if not protected. Just like nearly every piece of construction equipment has a Lojack type device on it in case of theft as well as keep track of everything that moves via satellite data.

Bamaman · 09-16-2014, 06:33 AM

All dealership retail markets are just a little different, and management must react to conditions differently. Because a dealership in Orlando may have a theft or vandalism problem doesn't mean that a dealership in Backwoods, Arkansas has to act the same.

I used to travel with loss prevention specialists to auto and heavy truck dealerships. Key control is many dealerships' best defensive measure in protecting their inventories.
We've gone as far as to steal a heavy duty truck and drive it back to the owner's office door to illustrate they have a problem.

I'm sorry that you were unable to go unimpeded through the motorhomes in Orlando. Sometimes we have to roll with the flow.

G.G. · 09-16-2014, 09:46 AM

They also aren't there for our entertainment on a Saturday afternoon. Granted, sometimes when "we aren't going to buy", we end of buying just because we looked and got the bug, but to expect them to let everyone and his brother look because it's fun, is a bit unrealistic.

EricGT · 09-17-2014, 05:21 AM

I don't mind the added security. However, locking the one in the showroom was bit overboard. I am betting they had grown tired of continuously having the clean the Monaco from all the shoppers running through it. Perhaps it was on consignment. ????

TomandGloria · 09-17-2014, 05:35 AM

The CW in Charleston was super accommodating when I asked them to open the new Forza/Solei they had on the lot. Told me to take my time and look it over. Asked me to use salesman switch to turn off batteries and lock door when I was done looking. I was happy to accommodate their request.

RoamingGnome · 09-17-2014, 06:11 AM

The last time that I was at that Orlando store, about 2 years ago, many of the units were unlocked but a salesperson escort was required to enter the fenced-in lot. There was only one passageway into the lot and there was a team of sales personnel manning that passageway. It appears that they may now allow shoppers to walk the lot freely without a salesperson but if you want to go inside of a unit then you need to ask for an escort. Yes the store is located in a relatively high-crime area, no longer in the rural setting that it was when I first went there 25 years ago.

mojoracing · 09-17-2014, 06:13 AM

key control in dealers is the most important thing to deter theft. Not to mention todays automotive keys and fobs can run upwards of 500.00 a piece. I personally wouldn't want my future motorhome tromped through by every lookie loo and their six muddy footed kids jumping on the sofas and beds. I watched a few episodes of big time RV and was shocked not only by the adults but how they let their kids jump all over the rvs and beds with their shoes on!